Slip-stream mixer



Feb. 13, 1940.

R. M. JOYCE 2,190,565

SLIPSTREAM MIXER Filed Feb. 10, 1.939

Patented Feb. 13, 1940 eral rrr OFFICE;

sur-STREAM MIXER Robert M. Joyce, Greenville, Miss.

Application February l0, 1939, Serial No. 255,790

My invention relates generally tov means -for mixing heated air and cotton in conjunction with a' cotton drying system employing a heated air blower fan, and a ian operating to take cotton directly from the source of supply into the drying tower of the system, and an important ol e ject of my invention is to provide means whereby the back pressure usually arising at the point of mixing of the cotton andthe air is reduced, and uninterrupted flow of cotton and air to the inlet of the tower at a minimum velocity and maximum of static pressure, and in this way In the drawing: :V Figure l is a general side elevational view of' a slip-stream mixer operatively connected in seating relation to a conventional type of cotton drying tower.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view taken through the mixer. l

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse verticalysectional view taken through Figure 2 approximately onthe line 3 3.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 5 generally designates the cotton drying tower which has the hot air and cotton intake ccnduit t which is coupled as indicated bythe numeral 'l to the mixer of the present invention which i is generally designated 3.

The mixer 8 comprises the Yc`nduit t which has a cylindrical portion it from which the squared legs i! and` i2., respectively, diverge, the cross section of the upper leg il being larger than that of the lower leg i2 as clearly indicated in Figure 3 of the drawing. The upper leg 'il has a deiected portion lil which` is coupled as indicated by 'the numeral Eil to the upper square cross section conduit iii, while the lower leg i2 has the deeoted portion it which is square in cross section and is coupled as indicated 'by the numeral il to a square cross section horizontal conduit i8, the square conduits i5 and I8 being approximately parallel in relationship. The lower conduit i3 is connected as indicated by the numeral i9 to the hot air supply conduit 2t while (ci. ait-37) the upper cotton conduit i5 is connected `as Iindicated by the numeral 2l to the cotton supply conclu' Adjacent the left hand end of the lower square conduit it and hinged atthe point indicated by the numeral 23 is a downwardly swingable trap door 2t whichis normally held up in a closed' position by the spring arrangement 25, the door Eil operating to close the opening 26 in theinormal position ofthe trap door. A gravity gate 2i is pivoted by its upper end to the top of the conduit i8 as indicated by the numeral 28 so as to fall to a vertical position in which it closes off the conduit il! whenever the cotton fan pressure is greater than the hot air fan pressure, 'so that the gate 2'? then assumes the straight up and down position illustrated in full lines in Figure 2 and is held in this closed position b-y the abutment 23 on the :floor of the conduit I8.

In view of the arrangement described above it `is ob-vious thatthe gravity operable gate 42l falls to a closed position from the open position shown in vdotted lines in Figure 2 which is normaly during the full action ofthe hot air fan, to the full;

line position shown in Figure 2, upon a substantial reduction in the action of the. hot air fan, at the instant that the reduction takes place, thereby preventing the cotton seed from being blown back through the conduit i8 and to the 'heater so as to present a lire hazard. At the instant that the gate 2l' closes, the trap door24 is opened by the air pressure and `cotton pressure, so that the cotton is released onto theI door below the mixer or into a container if one be provided, so that this cotton can be recovered and does not present any lire hazard. It is obvious from an inspection of the smooth uninterrupted and unimpeded surfaces provided by the relatively straight conduits involved in themixer of the present invention, that the cotton and air have free and uninterrupted ow with the minimum of retardation, and that because of this the'cotton can be made to move at a low speed with great uniformity.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire to limit the application of my invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in the materials, and in vthe structure and arrangement of the parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claims. v

' Having described the invention, what is claimed es new is:

, l. In combination with the cotton intake conduit of the cotton drying tower of a cotton drying system embodying a source of damp cotton under air pressure and a source of hot air under pressure, of amixer, said mixer comprising a Y-conduit comprising a iirst leg to which the source of damp cotton and air under pressure is connected, and a second leg to which the source of hot air is connected, means in said second leg operative upon failure of the hot air pressure supply to close off said second legloetween said intake conduit and said hot air pressure supply whereby the cotton is prevented from passing to said hot air supply.

2. In combination with the cotton intake conduit of the cotton drying tower of a cotton drying system embodying a source of damp cotton under air pressure and a source of hot air under pressure, of a mixer, said mixer comprising a Y- conduit comprising a first leg to which the source of damp cotton and air under pressure is connected, and a second leg to which the source of hot air is connected, meansI in said second leg operative upon failure of the hot air pressure supply to close or said second leg between said intake conduit and said hot air pressure supply whereby the cotton is prevented from passing to said hot air supply, and a cotton escape in said second conduit operative upon closing of the rst mentioned means to permit the cotton to escape from said second leg at a point in advance of said first mentioned means.

3. In combination with the cotton intake conduit ofthe cotton drying tower of a cotton drying system embodying a source of damp cotton under air pressure and a source of hot air under pressure, of a mixen Isaid mixer comprising a Y-conduit comprising a first leg to which the source of damp cotton and air under pressure is connected, and a second leg to which the source of hot air is connected, means in said second leg operative upon failure of the hot air pressure supply to close off said second leg between said intake conduit and said hot air pressure supply whereby the cotton is prevented from passing to said hot air supply, and a cotton escape in said second conduit operative upon closing of the rst mentioned means to permit the cotton to 4escape from said second leg at a point in advance of said first mentioned means, the first means comprising a gravity operated swingable gate, and said cotton escape comprising a spring closed trap door, 4

ROBERT M. JOYCE. 

